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Germany asks US why NSA critic was denied entry

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's Foreign Ministry says it has contacted U.S. authorities over their decision to deny a German author entry to the United States.

Ilija Trojanow says he was refused permission to board a flight from Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, to Miami on Monday without explanation. He told the Spiegel Online website that the denial of entry might be linked to his criticism of the U.S. National Security Agency.

Trojanow was one of several prominent German authors who signed an open letter to Chancellor Angela Merkel urging her to take a firm stance against the mass online surveillance allegedly conducted by the NSA.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said Wednesday that German diplomats had contacted their American counterparts "to resolve this issue."

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin declined immediate comment.

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